I am gifted with many strenghts, I suppose, but remarkable in just a few. I am a getting dirty superstar, as I was reminded yet again this week as I slipped and slid through the Urabá mud. I got to accompany in the campo this week - the thing most like what I imagined I would be doing in Colombia. This week I accompanied one of the weekly community work days, where about 50 community members transformed into human lawnmowers, machete-ing down about 25 acres of brush in an afternoon (so that grass could grown, and the community´s animals could graze). And despite my efforts to clean myself in the river, I came home with mud from feet to face. And I ran down the mountain from La Unión to La Holandita, trying to prove that all my hard-won Appalachian Trail-hiking skills hadn´t dissipated. With the help of an old mop transformed into hiking pole, I didn´t fall...but rather glided, squished and stomped my way through the high rivers and muddy downhills. I found mud inside my ear.
Obviously, I am enjoying my time in the campo. Next up: a group of embassies are visiting the community this week as a response to all of the recent attacks in order to raise the profile of the situation there with the Colombian government. I am heading home to visit friend Nikki Tim´s new baby, Charlotte Jane, in a little over a week!! Internet access is sporadic here, but I will try to post some pictures soon.
